The year is off to a great start, and I thank you for joining me in this celebration of locally-grown flowers, from our gardens, meadows and farms. Seattleites are of course wrapped up in Super Bowl preparations, but I’ve been anticipating the return of homegrown tulips from Alm Hill Gardens, an organic food and flower farm in Everson, Washington, just two miles from the Washington-British Columbia border.

Owned by Gretchen Hoyt and Ben Craft, Alm Hill is known for raising luscious cut tulips. At Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the sign in their stall reads, “Alm Hill Gardens: A Small Sustainable Family Farm Since 1974.”

I greeted flower-seller Max Clement, who I’m always happy to see, and selected 20 apricot-hued and melon-orange tulip for $20. He wrapped them up in white paper and sent me off to play with the floral gifts that my own backyard offered as companion elements to the first tulips of 2015.

Witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’). This otherworldly flower excites the winter garden – and one must cut judiciously to preserve the shrub’s beauty in the landscape. I used 5 stems with copper-orange flowers for my arrangement.

TIP: Magnolia grandiflora foliage

Magnolia foliage with spring tulips

The arrangement I created above took its inspiration from a winter bouquet that I included in my book Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Flowers.

With this design, I raved about the fact that my neighbors Kim and Jake have a stunning Magnolia grandiflora that I view from my sitting room.

They are always so generous to allow me to walk across our shared driveway and clip a few glossy evergreen stems for my arrangements. The leaves measure up to 9 inches and the underside of each is slightly fuzzy and rusty-brown, which looks especially enticing with orange and apricot companion flowers like early spring tulips.

Anyone who thinks the winter garden is limited need only to consider broadleaf evergreen shrubs and trees – they are long-lasting and reflect the light when we desperately need it!

GET INVOLVED AND SHARE YOUR SLOW FLOWERS ARRANGEMENTS!

A beautiful January bouquet submitted by Winnie Pitrone, a flower grower and arranger in Mendocino, Ca who uses only seasonal, local flora from her garden or nearby gardens.